Ten of thousands of lives. Enough said.
It is now a known fact that wearing a face mask reduces your chances of getting the coronavirus. As the pandemic wears on however, some people seem to be overlooking this truth. Case numbers are dropping in some areas of North America, but they are now surging in others. As places reopen, what could be a false sense of security may be pervading people’s minds. This is evidenced by the fact that seven states just reported their highest COVID-19 hospitalizations since the pandemic began. Arizona, Arkansas, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas are all included in this group. Florida is also seeing a large surge in cases as it opens up. In other words, this all adds up to some serious business.
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Just how effective are masks? According to a report on Reuters.com, a study done at Britain’s Cambridge and Greenwich Universities has the proof. It showed that when 50% of a population or more use face masks routinely it reduces the spread of COVID-19 so effectively that future waves of the disease are flattened. Other studies provide additional evidence. A report by the Washington Post indicated that almost 180,000 Americans are predicted to die from the coronavirus by October 1. If almost all Americans (95%) start wearing masks now however, that number could be reduced by almost 35,000 people.
And there is more. Researchers from Texas and California found that using face masks reduced coronavirus deaths in Italy and New York City by over 50,000 people, respectively. This team included Mario Molina. Molina is a professor at the University of California-San Diego and a co-recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. It was found that when people used face masks in Italy, the number of infections there was said to be reduced by more than 78,000 from April 6-May 9. In New York City, face mask use reduced coronavirus cases by over 66,000 from April 17-May 9.
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“Our results clearly show that airborne transmission via respiratory aerosols represents the dominant route for the spread of COVID-19,” said Renyi Zhang, Texas A&M Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science, and a lead author of the study.
There are some positives in all of this data. People in the US are currently doing a good job of wearing face masks in public. A June 12 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that about 74% of Americans nationwide said they wore masks often or always. That number approached 90% in places like New York and Los Angeles. This is close to the 95% that would be required to really squelch the virus.
Experts warn that even as states open up, the world is still dealing with a large epidemic that could likely be on course to increase in late August and grow in force as we head into September and then the flu season. Those who do not wear a mask are essentially placing their own lives, as well as those they live with and see face-to-face, at risk of serious illness or death. For tips on purchasing or making your own face mask, click here.
photo credits: Maridav/Shutterstock.com
